Courtesy of Judith Gregg Librarian Catherine Arbogast heads out with a personalized book delivery from the Los Altos main library.

Love of learning and curiosity about the world sometimes grow only more urgent as a person spends more and more time at home, limited by age, health condition, or both. Librarians head out from the Los Altos main l...

Already known as an innovator in the tech field, Google Inc. is now moving in on the art world.

The Mountain View-based company July 11 launched the “Paint the Town” contest, a “moving art experiment” that invites California residents over the age of 13 to submit physical or digital artwork that would decorate the door...

Traci Newell/Town Crier The six-week, tuition-free Stretch to Kindergarten program, hosted at Bullis Charter School, serves children who have not attended preschool. A teacher leads children in singing about the parts of a butterfly, above.

courtesy of Rishi Bommannan Rishi Bommannan cycled from Bates College in Maine to his home in Los Altos Hills, taking several selfies along the way. He also raised nearly $13,000 for the Livestrong Foundation, which supports cancer patients.

The Town Crier’s recent article on coyotes venturing down from the foothills in search of sustenance referenced the organization Project Coyote (“Recent coyote attacks keep residents on edge,” July 1). Do not waste your time contac...

Photos by Alicia Castro/Town Crier Local residents participate in an exercise class at the Grant Park Senior Center, above. Betsy Reeves, below left with Gail Enenstein, lobbied for senior programming in south Los Altos.

Grace Wilson Franks, our beloved mother and grandmother, left us peacefully on July 16, 2015 just a few weeks short of her 92nd birthday. She was born to Ross and Florence (Cruzan) Wilson in rural Tulare, California on Septem...

Most of us have a place inside our hearts and minds that occasionally causes us trouble. For some, it is sadness, depression or despair. For others, it may be fear, anger, resentment or myriad other emotional “dark places” that at times seem to hij...

Courtesy of Celebrity Forum Gabby Giffords and Mark Kelly kicked off the Celebrity Forum season last month.

Former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords and her astronaut husband Mark Kelly kicked off the Celebrity Forum Speakers Series Oct. 25 with a presentation that focused on working hard to make the world a better place.

In front of a packed house at the Flint Center for the Performing Arts on the De Anza College campus, Giffords spoke a few words to the crowd after her husband spent more than an hour discussing his experiences as an astronaut.

“Gabby has difficulty with speech, so be patient with her,” Kelly advised.

Giffords continues to struggle with speaking and walking since she was shot in January 2011 in Arizona while meeting with constituents. Her right arm remains paralyzed from the bullet that went through her head. She undergoes speech and physical therapy to regain her faculties and continue serving the country.

After a short film clip, Kelly described his time aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour and the International Space Station, one of only two individuals who has visited on four occasions.

While preparing to command Endeavour, Kelly received a call from Giffords’ chief of staff that his wife had been shot but learned no other details. He had a friend fly him to Tucson on a private plane and arrived four hours after the assassination attempt.

Kelly spoke of Giffords’ recovery and shared several of their experiences leading up to her surprise return to Washington to vote in favor of raising the debt ceiling.

“After months of rancor and pettiness, one small woman brought Washington to their feet,” Kelly said.

Early in her recovery, Giffords had confidence that she would be able to travel to Cape Canaveral to witness the launch of her husband’s final shuttle mission, but it was canceled. After several launch delays, she was able to return to Kennedy Space Center for her husband’s May 2011 launch. Kelly wore his wife’s wedding ring into space and she wore his.

Near the end of the program, Giffords came onstage to hearty applause and a standing ovation.

“Thank you for inviting me. I am getting better and working hard to make the world a better place,” she said.

The “new Gabby” is tougher and stronger than before, according to Kelly.

“For the next five years, I just want to travel,” said Giffords, adding that she is optimistic they will sail around the world.

Kelly and Giffords held hands as they left the Flint Center stage. Giffords leaned over and touched the hands of people in the front row.

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